Jeff Decker

Jeff Decker is a sculptor and historian who is known for his bronze sculptures, the most notable of which is titled "By the Horns" (also known as The Hill Climber), a 16-foot-tall, 5,000-pound bronze located on the grounds of the Harley-Davidson Museum. His bronze-cast sculptures depicting the synergy of man and modern machines, particularly historic motorcycles, is known in both the motorcycling community and the world of fine art. , Decker was Harley-Davidson's official sculptor.

Professional background Decker is the son of Allen and Lana Decker. Steeped in the southern California car culture of the 1960s, Decker learned the ways of his father. An intense collector, Decker's father owned one of the area's largest flathead speed equipment collections.

Working full-time at a bronze casting foundry, Decker's first idea was to capture Man's quest for speed in all vehicles. His first sculpture was a 1924 Miller Indy car. Next came the Baby Bootlegger, a 1922 world record-holding speedboat.

On display at Bob Dron Harley-Davidson located in Oakland, California, Decker created a life-size bronze statue from a famous photograph of Joe Petrali showing him astride a Harley Streamliner, taken during Petrali's historic 136 mile per hour record setting run at Daytona on March 13, 1937. and is the only bronze sculpture artist licensed by Harley-Davidson to replicate their products. Decker also created a five-foot-tall, about 1,000-pound bronze of Elvis with a Harley-Davidson motorcycle he owned, a 1956 KHK model.

Bronze Sculptures Name Year Size Weight The 1924 Miller 91 Indy Car 1994 26″ × 12″ × 12″ 60 pounds The Baby Bootlegger 1995 42″ × 12″ × 8″ 60 pounds The Flying Merkel 1997 22″ × 13″ × 8″ 55 pounds Jim Davis Trophy Bust 1998 18″ × 6″ × 6″ 20 pounds The 1915 Cyclone 1998 22″ × 13″ × 8″ 55 pounds Flat Out at Bonneville 1999 42″ × 12″ × 32″ 300 pounds Tilt & Turns 1999 24" x 24" x 12" 75 pounds The 1916 Big Valve Excelsior 2000 22″ × 13″ × 8″ 55 pounds The 1912 Indian Big Base 8 valve racer 2000 22″ × 13″ × 8″ 55 pounds The 1916 8 Valve Harley-Davidson works racer 2000 22″ × 13″ × 8″ 55 pounds Neck and neck with Death 2000 7’ x 2’ x 2’ 300 pounds The Bullet 1/2 scale 2001 44″ × 28″ × 28″ 300 pounds The Bullet 1/4 scale 2002 22″ × 14″ × 14″ 50 pounds Slant Artist 2003 18″ × 14″ × 28″ 20 pounds Petrali 2003 7′ × 2′ × 4′ 800 pounds Petrali/Marquette-size 2004 18″ × 8″ × 10″ 25 pounds Harley-Davidson's 1000+4 2004 18″ × 8″ × 12″ 20 pounds Ruby 2005 18″ × 8″ × 12″ 25 pounds Daytona 2006 28″ × 22″ × 13″ 60 pounds West Was Won 2007 36″ × 20″ × 18″ 110 pounds The King and his Ride 2007 18″ × 8″ × 12″ 30 pounds By the Horns (The Hill Climber) 2008 9′ × 5′ × 18′ 5 tons